Tire-valve.



w. W. POTTER. TIRE VALVE. AIPLIOATION FILED IEBL 28,-191i. Patented Sept. 26, 1911.

a v w/ 40 ,ball supporting plug.

" nom nee.v

UNITED STATES P aLDENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM WALLACE POTTER, OF PAWTUCKET, RHODE ISLAND.

TIRE-VALVE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed. February 28, 1911.

Patented. Sept. 26, 1911. Serial No. 611,382.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM WALLACE POTTER, of Pawtucket, in the county of Providence, and in the State of Rhode Island, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Tire-Valves, and. do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear,

and exact description thereof.

v The tire valw in common use has struo tural and funct onal features that'are serr keep air-tight so that there is likelihood of leakage; and the air passages are unavoid' ably of-such limited capacity that the opera tion of inflating a tire is hard and slow, and

.the defiation' of a tire is slow, it, indeed, be-

ing a prhctice in deflating automobile tires because of the tardy action of the valve, for chauffeurs to remove the valve mechanism from the stemto hasten the discharge of the air, and this, besides being otherwise objectionable, often results in derangement of,

the valve parts so that thereafter to work properly.

The object of my invention is to provide a tire valve of such construction that it will be free from the objectionable characteristics of" the ordinary tire valve and be otherwise an important improvement thereover. ,In the accompanying drawingsFigures 1 to {t are, respectively, vertical sections of they fail as many different tire valves, embodying my invention; Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the My invention con'iprehends the employment of .a valve in the form of a loose, symmetrical body, preferably, though not necessarily of globular, or ball form,- free to move back and forth .in a chamber that at its outer end has a valve seat against which the valve body is pressedby internal pressure, and which chamber has suitable means to restrict or, limit the movement of the valve body away from its seat under pressure from incoming air from a pump or other source of air under pressure.

In the various forms or embodiments of my invention, the casing or stem 10 is essentially the ordinary tubular form with a tire-engaging foot or flange 11 at the inner end thereof, and in all the embodiments of my invention illustrated, the loose valve body 12 is of globular, or ball form, and preferably of some slightly flexible or yielding material, such as rubber, although I do not restrict myself to any particular kind of material having any particular degree of hardness. In some instances the valve body might have a hard interior and a yielding, or comparatively soft exterior or circumference. As shown in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, the valve seat 13 is formed by a sharp edge or corner at the outer end of the valve chamber 14 by means of an axially extending passage or opening'15 of less diameter than the valve body and said chamber, and as I prefer to make it, and as illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 4, said opening or:

passage is provided in a solid or integral portion of the valve stem or casing 10 in order to avoid the presence of any openings or joints that might require packing 1n order to render them air-tight. The outer end of the stem through which said opening 15 passes is reduced in diameter, as usual, and threaded externally to provide the customary nipple for attaching theinflating tube and for attaching the usual closing 1 cap .17.

the opening 15 extending therefrom may he in a separate thimble 18 which 13 screwed either into or upon the outer end of the flat stem or casing 10, in which case a packing 19 is applied to the outer end of the valve stem to close the joint thus formed thereat.

The chamber containing the loose valve .body 12 is sutliciently larger in diameter than the diameter of the valve to provide an ample space around thejvalve body for the passage of air, and to limit the inward movement of the valve body, various devices may be employed. Thus as illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 1 and 5, said limiting devices may As illustrated in Fig. 3, instead of the integral formation, the valve seat and 50 in Fig. 3, in which the plug 20 can be inbe given the excellent form of ashort cylin- .drical" plug of a diameter snugly to fit within the valve stem, and having in its periphery numerous longitudinally extendmg grooves or channels 21 which provide for the free and abundant passage of air past said plug in an inward direction for inflating the tire and in an outward direction for deflating the tire. In the end f the plug, toward the valve body, is form d a cavity or depression 22 centrally-located in which the valve body is seatedb the inward pressure. of air upon it, said avity or depression thus forming a centering means holding the. valve in alinement with its seat so that instantly upon the existence of 'an outward pressure upon the valve the latter will be moved directly to its seat without any sidewise tendency that might hinder or prevent the proper seating of the valve. As a matter-of convenience both ends of the plug may be provided with the centering cavity or recess as shown in'Fig. 1, so that in assemblin the-parts it will be immaterial which end 0 the plug is firstinserted. The plug may be supported at its inner end in various ways. 1 and 2 (in which case the plug must be inserted from the inner end of the tube) a supporting sleeve is shown, which, as illustrated in Fig.1, consists of an externally threaded sleeve or tube 23 which engages the internal thread in the valve casing or stem,

while in-the form illustrated in Fig.2, it

isa piece of tubing 24 fitting friction tight in the valve stem or casing, and at its outer end engaging a limiting seat or stop shoulder. In both sleeves illustratedin Figs. 1 and 2, the ends next the plug are provided with slots or notches 25 for the passage of 1 airinto or from the sleeves. In the screw form sleeve illustrated in Fig. 1, notches are provided in-the inner end for engagement bya screw driver for the insertion and withdrawal of the sleeve; and in the case of .the sleeve illustrated in Fig.2," at the inner end thereof is provided an L-shaped slot for engagement by a suitable'tool for its withdrawal if necessary. v

In the form of my invention illustrated serted from the outer end of the tube, a

' 7 simple stop shoulder 26 is formed in the valve stem or' casing which engages the inner end of the plug.

In the form of my. invention illustrated in Fig. 4:, a diametrically extending pin 27 riveted in alining holes passing through the Usvalvestem or casing .bethe form of the plug supporting devijde. a structurally my valve could not be simpler for 'it requires but a sin le movable 'memberor'element. It, there ore, can be {made very cheaply, and by ieason o fits ex- Thus, as illustrated in Figs.

plug, to center the ball.

treme simplicity it can be infallibly depended upon to perform its function. As the valve body is the only'member or element that must be moved, and as it is free or loose, a minimum of effort is required to infiate a tire, and as the air passages can be. of very large area, the labor and time required to inflate atire are materially reduoed compared with valves in ordinary use, actual test showing that about half the siren inlabor and half the time is required;

and the large area of'theair passages enables deflation of the tire to be quickly performed. All that is' required in deflating a tire is to thrust some small object, such as a match stick, against the valve body to move and hold it from it's seat.

The valve body has a very large area, and hence, the air pressure quickly moves it to its Having thus described my invention what I claim is 1. In a valve for pneumatic tires in which the closing element is wholly*a ball, means for limiting the movement of the ball from its seat consisting of a cylindrical plug havlng peripheral air passages running from end to end thereof, and said plug having in its ends depressions or cavities, each of which is adapted, according tothe position of the 2. A tire valve comprising a valvestem or casing having a valve chamber, a loose valve body in said chamber, a valve seat at one end of said chamber, and means secured in the casing to limit the movement of the loose valve body in the direction away from the-valve seat andconsisting'of a plug in the casing, having longitudinally extending air passages in its periphery. v

3. A or casing havlng a valve chamber, a loose valve body in said chamber, a valve seat at one end of said chamber, and means to limit the movementof the loose valve body in the direction away from the valve seat, and con sisting of a plug having longitudinally extire valve comprising a valve stem tending peripheral grooves or channels, said solid plug having a valve body'receiving re-i cessor cayity.

4.; A tire valve comprislng a valve stem or caslng hav ngfa valve chamber, a loose valve body in said chamber, a valve seat at one site that en aged by the valve body bearing end of said -chamber,means tolimit. the upon said s eeve. 10' movement of the loose valve body. in the di- In testimony that I claim the foregoing I rection' away from the valve seat, consisting' have hereunto set my hand.

of a plug having longitudinally extending \VILLIAM WALLACE POTTER. peripheral grooves or channels, and a sleeve Witnesses: I

secured inthestem or casing forming a sup- J OHN WILLIAM THoMAs,

port for said plug the end of the plug oppo- .MALCOLM SMETHURST.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

